When Flappy Bird creator Dong Nguyen removed his ultra popular app from the App Store back in February, he gave little explanation for the surprising decision, aside from a short message stating he could no longer take the attention.

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Nguyen explains why he pulled the app, pointing to extensive press coverage and unwanted attention in his home town of Hanoi. While Nguyen enjoyed his early success, he was swarmed by the media after news of his monetary success was revealed. At the height of its popularity, Flappy Bird was generating upwards of $50,000 per day.

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As news hit of how much money Nguyen was making, his face appeared in the Vietnamese papers and on TV, which was how his mom and dad first learned their son had made the game. The local paparazzi soon besieged his parents' house, and he couldn't go out unnoticed. While this might seem a small price to pay for such fame and fortune, for Nguyen the attention felt suffocating.

Even more troubling were the messages he began receiving from parents and Flappy Bird players who had become addicted to the game. One woman told him he was "distracting the children of the world," and Nguyen worried the game was too addictive.

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Another [message] laments that "13 kids at my school broke their phones because of your game, and they still play it cause it's addicting like crack." Nguyen tells me of e-mails from workers who had lost their jobs, a mother who had stopped talking to her kids. "At first I thought they were just joking," he says, "but I realize they really hurt themselves."

According to Nguyen, who had trouble in school because of his own addiction to Counter-Strike, those messages were a major reason why he opted to put an end to Flappy Bird. When asked by the interviewer why he ultimately pulled the app, he said "I'm master of my own fate. Independent thinker."

With Flappy Bird's removal from the App Store, hundreds of clones have popped up. While Apple initially attempted to stem the flood of Flappy Bird-style games, the game's success has continued to tempt developers into creating clones. At the end of February, one-third of new games released over a 24-hour period ended up being games that were heavily inspired by Flappy Bird and Nguyen's success. "People can clone the app because of its simplicity," Nguyen said, "but they will never make another Flappy Bird."

Flappy Bird clones

Nguyen told Rolling Stone that removing Flappy Bird from the App Store has been a "relief," but he is also contemplating returning the app to the App Store.

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"I'm considering it," Nguyen says. He's not working on a new version, but if he ever releases one it will come with a "warning," he says: "Please take a break."

Though Flappy Bird is no longer available for download, it continues to make money for Nguyen, "generating tens of thousands of dollars." The app's success has led Nguyen to quit his job, and he's considering purchasing both a Mini Cooper and an apartment as he continues to develop new games.

Rolling Stone's full interview with Nguyen, which is well worth reading, also includes tidbits on the development of Flappy Bird, details on Nguyen's childhood, his game creating experience, and info on his future plans.

Mac users might be pleased to know that all the retail verisons of Counter-Strike are now available on Mac, you can get them all through Steam and see for yourself why the Flappy Bird creator was so addicted to it that it caused trouble for him at school.

Parents always have and always will be responsible for monitoring their children's activities and the time they spend doing them. Blaming one popular game maker for children being distracted by games is like blaming Magic Johnson for AIDS.

This is all hilarious. This guy got caught in the middle of a perfect social media storm.

He made a crappy game that was difficult and people started to post about their frustration, which made more people download it to see what the fuss was.

Then it became a contest to see who could make the most outrageous reviews. While I don't doubt there were some people who had a real issue with the app, I think the majority were just playing the whole thing up. My guess is that the sarcasm and humor were lost in translation on this guy.

This is all hilarious. This guy got caught in the middle of a perfect social media storm.

He made a crappy game that was difficult and people started to post about their frustration, which made more people download it to see what the fuss was.

Then it became a contest to see who could make the most outrageous reviews. While I don't doubt there were some people who had a real issue with the app, I think the majority were just playing the whole thing up. My guess is that the sarcasm and humor were lost in translation on this guy.

Maybe the sarcasm and humor were lost in translation, but the money he made and is making is real.

I love the fact that it's the developer's fault that all of these people lost their jobs, didn't do well in school, broke their phones, etc. This guy must be a genius if he can force people all over the world to play his game rather than go to work and school.

I wish the people who contacted him would take responsibility for their own actions rather than blame everyone else.

I really hope he is just trolling the media and he didn't believe stories of people being addicted to the game and it ruining their lives. Just sounds like those would be made-up exaggerations from normal trolls. I don't think this is the type of game people get addicted too. At least compared to other games that actually addictive. Anyways, this is such a weird story.